North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia or North-Rhine/Westphalia (German: Nordrhein-Westfalen, pronounced [ˌnɔʁtʁaɪn vɛstˈfaːlən] ; Limburgish: Noordrien-Wesfale [ˈnoːʀtʀiːn wæsˈfaːlə]; Low German: Noordryn-Westfaulen or Noordrhien-Westfalen), commonly shortened to NRW (German: [ɛnʔɛʁˈveː] ), is a state (Land) in Western Germany. With more than 18 million inhabitants, it is the most populous state in Germany. Apart from the city-states, it is also the most densely populated state in Germany. Covering an area of 34,084 square kilometres (13,160 sq mi), it is the fourth-largest German state by size.
Not to be confused with Rhineland-Palatinate.
North Rhine-Westphalia
6 (of 69)
34,084.13 km2 (13,159.96 sq mi)
18,152,449
530/km2 (1,400/sq mi)
€793.690 billion (2022)
€43,910 (2022)
DE-NW
DEA
North Rhine-Westphalia features 30 of the 81 German municipalities with over 100,000 inhabitants, including Cologne (over 1 million), the state capital Düsseldorf (630.000), Dortmund and Essen (about 590,000 inhabitants each) and other cities predominantly located in the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan area, the largest urban area in Germany and the fourth-largest on the European continent. The location of the Rhine-Ruhr at the heart of the European Blue Banana makes it well connected to other major European cities and metropolitan areas like the Randstad, the Flemish Diamond and the Frankfurt Rhine-Main Region.
North Rhine-Westphalia was established in 1946 after World War II from the Prussian provinces of Westphalia and the northern part of Rhine Province (North Rhine), and the Free State of Lippe by the British military administration in Allied-occupied Germany and became a state of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1949. The city of Bonn served as the federal capital until the reunification of Germany in 1990 and as the seat of government until 1999.
Culturally, North Rhine-Westphalia is not a uniform area; there are significant differences, especially in traditional customs, between the Rhineland region on the one hand and the regions of Westphalia and Lippe on the other. As of 2023, its economy is the largest among German states by GDP but is below the national average in GDP per capita.
Flags and coat of arms[edit]
The flag of North Rhine-Westphalia is green-white-red with the combined coats of arms of the Rhineland (white line before green background, symbolizing the river Rhine), Westfalen (the white horse) and Lippe (the red rose). After the establishment of North Rhine-Westphalia in 1946, the tricolor was first introduced in 1948, but was not formally adopted until 1953.[7] The plain variant of the tricolor is considered the civil flag and state ensign, while government authorities use the state flag (Landesdienstflagge) which is defaced with the state's coat of arms.[7] The state ensign can easily be mistaken for a distressed flag of Hungary, as well as the former national flag of Iran (1964–1980). The same flag was used by the Rhenish Republic (1923–1924) as a symbol of independence and freedom.
The horse on the coat of arms is a reference to the Saxon Steed, a heraldic motif associated with both Westphalia and Lower Saxony. The horse first featured in the 15th century coat of arms of the Duchy of Westphalia, before being inherited by the Prussian province of Westphalia and finally the modern state of North Rhine-Westphalia.[8]
Births from January–September 2016 =
130,025
Births from January–September 2017 =
Deaths from January–September 2016 =
150,018
Deaths from January–September 2017 =
153,435
Natural growth from January–September 2016 =
Natural growth from January–September 2017 =
−23,347
